Caution: Avoid this Fake SMS install Covid-19 Vaccine Registration App
Now days a fake SMS message is going viral, giving people a link to a fake app to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in India. This app spread the malware through fake SMS messages when we have installed it on our phones instead of registering for Covid Vaccination (Covid-19 Vaccination).
Researcher says that the link given in the SMS installs this warm app in the phone. After this, it sends a message with the same link via SMS to all the contacts included in the phone without the user’s knowledge.
The app was initially named COVID-19, although it later received an update and was renamed ‘Vaccine Register’. Currently we are facing many problems in registering for the vaccine and getting the availability of vaccination slots. Therefore, by tempting to register easily, attackers can be successful in installing this app on a large scale.
Malware researcher Lukas Stefanko of cybersecurity firm ESET has tweeted about an SMS message advising people to download the app to register for the COVID-19 vaccination. A link to the app is also given in this message. The app is targeting Indian users and according to the researcher, it mimics ‘COVID-19 vaccine free registration’.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>SMS worm impersonates Covid-19 vaccine free registration<br><br>Android SMS worm tries to spread via text messages as fake free registration for Covid-19 vaccine – targets India 🇮🇳<br>It can spread itself via SMS to victim contacts with link to download this malware. <a href=”https://t.co/EXAAGARqOP”>https://t.co/EXAAGARqOP</a> <a href=”https://t.co/HX957bPVu5″>pic.twitter.com/HX957bPVu5</a></p>— Lukas Stefanko (@LukasStefanko) <a href=”https://twitter.com/LukasStefanko/status/1387733166195150849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>April 29, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Android SMS Worm was updated an hour ago.
It received a light mode and app name was changed pic.twitter.com/ZPUmIVdxrm— Lukas Stefanko (@LukasStefanko) April 29, 2021
Researcher says that the link given in the SMS installs this warm app in the phone. After this, it sends a message with the same link via SMS to all the contacts included in the phone without the user’s knowledge. In this way it is spreading rapidly.
This app was initially being spread under the name COVID-19 and was later renamed Vaccine Register through updates. Not only this, a light mode has also been created, through which attackers can also target users with low-end mobile devices and increase their reach.
So please do not get into any such SMS message and make your close friends aware of such scam.
Note: Registrations for the COVID-19 vaccine are currently operational only on the CoWIN portal as well as the Aarogya Setu and Umang apps.
There are also some third-party sites through which you can get information about the availability of slots. The government has also given an option to find the nearest COVID-19 vaccination center using the MyGov Corona helpdesk chatboat.
https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=919013151515&text=Hi&app_absent=0
https://twitter.com/LukasStefanko/status/1387779219678187526
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